


Danganronpa V3 - Re-imagined

by warrior_shampoo72



Series: DanganronpaV3 - Re-imagined [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Its Ouma, M/M, more tags to come, talent swap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-02-28 16:36:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13275507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/warrior_shampoo72/pseuds/warrior_shampoo72
Summary: An astronaut with a heart of gold.A shy inventor.A cosplayer wrapped in lies.A detective with an eye for all things naughty.And many more....Sixteen students trapped in a killing game with no way out. Bonds are formed and trust is met with betrayal. Who will hold strong to their beliefs and who will be desperate enough to kill? Which students will walk away with their lives?(All talents were decided with a random generator. Summary is crap but I'm doing my best.)





	1. Prologue Pt1 (Kaede POV)

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Danganronpa and I'm SORRY for not updating the other stories but I really wanted to do this. The first chapter's dialogue is really similar to the game but that will change in the next chapter now that I'm in the flow. Some chapters WILL be in a different POV. Also sorry it's mostly dialogue but that's life sometimes.

_Where…. Where am I?_

I stumbled out of the locker, but immediately my legs gave out. I fell to the floor with a scream. I couldn’t brace for the impact as pain surged through my head.

“Gghh…... Ow…..” I slowly rubbed my aching head as annoyance took over for the confusion I felt earlier.

“Wait…. What is this place?”

I grumbled under my breath as I braced myself. Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet and almost fell again. My head throbbed again as I pressed a hand to it with a whimper. Once I was steady, I noticed that I was in a classroom. It wasn’t a classroom I recognized though. How did I get here?

“Okay… Let’s just stay calm and give this some thought,” I whispered to myself. I tried my hardest to remember. My brain protested the overuse and a sharp pain went through it. I quickly gave up and rubbed my forehead.

I let out a yelp when I heard banging. I slowly turned around, my body trembling, to find the source. The locker next to mine was swaying and shaking. I trembled more as I tried to put on a brave face and prepared to defend myself. The locker door slowly opened, and a boy stumbled out of it only to collapse to his knees with a groan. The boy was dressed in a school uniform with a hat on his head and a pair of goggles around his neck. He looked like he was a high school student just like me.

He seemed bewildered and when he finally lifted his head I found myself staring into a single yellow eye. The boy let out a piercing scream that echoed in the classroom and made me wince as my head gave a dull throb.

“Rude! Don’t freak out like you just saw a monster!” I snapped as I pulled my jacket tighter around my body.

“Sorry…” he said softly. Guilt pricked at my heart as I quickly offered my own apology. I held out my hand and watched as he seemed to think it through. He finally accepted my help and I pulled him back up. I was mildly surprised to feel callouses on his hand. He just seemed a bit too… soft to have them.

“I just…. Have no idea what’s going on,” I confessed as he straightened out his clothing but made no attempt to fix his hat.

_“Rise and shine, Ursine!”_

Suddenly 5 small bears appeared in front of us, causing me to scream. The boy just frowned and whispered something I barely caught.

“That is NOT a teddy bear! It’s a monster so now would be the time to freak out!” I snapped, causing him to flinch. One of the bears let out a scream.

“I don’t think she meant you,” another one said.

“That’s so mean… You humans are the real monsters….”

“Although, if we are monsters, we’re pretty ones.”

“Agreed! I definitely won the genetic lottery!”

“What are they? Why are they talking?” I asked the boy next to me. He didn’t have any answers, but it was worth a shot.

“We’re not Monokubs we’re the stuffed animals!”

“Monokid you’re saying your lines backwards.” The one named Monokid seemed to get aggravated which just made the one who corrected him sigh. With that the 5 bears started to eagerly introduce themselves.

“What’s your question?” Monotaro asked.

“Well… I have a lot of questions,” I began. “But first… Where are we?”

“Okay, this place is called the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles!” I opened my mouth to ask for more details, but the boy suddenly spoke up.

“I’ve never heard of a school like that…” The bears seemed to find his statement amusing.

“Well of course you haven’t, silly! This school was made for you sixteen cretins.”

“Sixteen…- ““Yeah! There are sixteen Ultimates at this school including you. You do know what Ultimates are right?” The bear called Monosuke didn’t give us a chance to reply. “The government scouts ‘em through a program called the Ultimate Initiative.”

“’Ultimate’ basically means you’re particularly prodigious in a particular talent,” Monophanie cut in.

“The Ultimate Initiative exists to cultivate talent throughout the country,” Monokid continued. “Promising students are eligible to receive a shit ton of special handouts!”

“Um… I really didn’t need the background information,” I said. “I’m an Ultimate so I already knew all that.”

“Well then the two of you should explore the academy and introduce yourselves to the other Ultimates!”

_“So long, bear well!”_

“… They didn’t even answer more questions,” I grumbled. The boy chewed on his bottom lip before hesitantly looking over to me.

“This isn’t a dream, right?” His voice sounded so small and pathetic that it made my heart ache. “No... but I wish it was.”

“Hey… are you an Ultimate student, too?” I finally asked him after a few moments of silence. He seemed caught off guard, but he was quick to recover.

“Y-yeah…. I’m Shuuichi Saihara. I’m the Ultimate Inventor, but… I don’t feel that I’m good enough at it to be considered an Ultimate.”

“Wow! That’s amazing! My name is Kaede Akamatsu. I’m the Ultimate Astronaut. It’s really nice to meet you Saihara-kun!”

“Ultimate Astronaut…?”

“Well usually I’m just called Space Freak, but I can’t help it! There is so much beyond Earth besides stars, and I want to learn about it all! My hero growing up was Valentina Tereshkova, the first female Cosmonaut!” I started to ramble about space, but quickly managed to get myself back on track. “Ah but… this is my first time meeting another Ultimate.” Shuuichi offered me a small smile and shrugged, reaching up to toy with his goggles.

“Well, to be fair Ultimates are scattered all over the country. They’re quite difficult to find.”

“Yeah but sixteen Ultimates are gathered here now. Why? Could we have been kidnapped?”

“Um… About that…” Shuuichi chewed on his bottom lip again as he adverted his eyes. “I don’t remember… I’ve been trying to but it’s pointless. It doesn’t work no matter how hard I try. I have no idea how I got here… When I woke up I was in that locker… It’s like…. That memory fell out of my head….” He trailed off as I suddenly gasped and pointed at myself.

“Same thing with me!” He flinched and looked up at me with wide eyes. “I can’t remember a damn thing… Even though I’m trying so hard- “I was cut off by a sudden pain in my head. I pressed my fingers against it, dimly aware of Shuuichi hesitantly brushing his hand against my shoulder.

“I… I’m fine,” I finally got out. The boy pursed his lips, obviously not believing me, but he let it slide.

“Well… it can’t be coincidence that we don’t remember. What could’ve happened to us…...?”

“Hm… Before we start asking deep questions like that again we should find the other Ultimate students. I’m sure one of them will know something.” Shuuichi fiddled with his goggles before slowly nodding his head in agreement. With that, I turned and headed to the door, relieved to hear the inventor following me. I didn’t want to be alone in this place.


	2. Prologue pt 2 (Kaede)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede and Shuuichi meet (most) of the Ultimates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos so far!!!!!

When I stepped out of the classroom the first thing I noticed was the amount of vegetation on the floor and walls. It looked like the school was abandoned and nature was trying to reclaim it.  I took a few hesitant steps forward. The air felt heavy, but I tried to ignore it. I turned around to ask Shuuichi something but stopped as I noticed him staring at a device in his hands.

“What’s that?” He startled and almost dropped what he held.

“Um… I don’t… really know. I felt something in my pocket and when I checked it was this thing. It… appears to be a tablet of some kind…” His voice trailed off as I hastily reached into my jacket pocket. I thought it had felt heavier, but I just ignored it. My hand brushed something smooth and when I pulled it out…

“So, I have one, too…. It has the word ‘Monopad’ written on it.” I frowned and clutched the device a bit harder. “…When did this get in my pocket?”

“Ah… When I booted it up, my name was displayed on the screen. It’s like a student handbook.” He seemed to be in deep thought for a moment before he slid the Monopad into his pocket. “I don’t know what they could be used for…. But I also don’t think we should throw them away. Let’s hold on to them for now and I’ll take a closer look at them later.”

“… Yeah, good idea,” I said as I returned the Monopad to where I found it. I’m sure as the Ultimate Inventor, he meant to take them apart or something like that, but I didn’t care. With the Monopad safe in my pocket, I turned to my right and started walking. I had caught a glimpse of stairs, but I wanted to finish exploring this floor first. The first thing I noticed was a plain door with a sign that said “classroom” above it. I started to move towards it when I noticed another door across from it. The door was themed to look like piano keys and music notes surrounded it on the walls.

“Is that a music room?” Shuuichi asked as I changed course and headed to the strange door. When I tried to open it, nothing happened. “That’s strange….”

_“Rise and shine, ursine!”_

The Monokubs appeared in front of me and tried to herd me away from the door. Shuuichi had let out a startled gasp, but I’m sure he was fine. The boy was faint of heart, wasn’t he?

“This is the Ultimate Pianist’s Ultimate Research Lab!” Monotaro exclaimed proudly. “And last I checked, neither of you were the Ultimate Pianist!”

“Well…. It’s actually locked because we haven’t finished setting everything up yet….” Monophanie said softly.

“Ultimate…. Research Lab?” Shuuichi asked, finally deciding to approach us.

“We want you guys to hone your Ultimate talents, so we set up these rooms for you!” Monotaro answered as all 5 of the bears made a dramatic pose, presenting the piano door to us. “Of course, we have other labs set up, too! Everyone gets their own!”

“Most of ‘em are still hidden!” Monokid exclaimed. I started to ask another question, but the Monokubs disappeared. Guess I’ll just ask them later.

“Um…. Do you… Do you really think there are other rooms like this for everyone?” I gave Shuuichi a small smile.

“I wonder too… But I’m sure there are.” I tried to make my voice as reassuring as possible and it seemed to work. The inventor offered me a shy smile. I felt my own get bigger. I think that was the first time Shuuichi smiled ever since we fell out of the lockers. Feeling a bit happier, I went back to the door I originally saw and tried the handle. It rattled quite a bit, but it was obviously locked.

“It won’t open. Let’s look somewhere else, Saihara-kun.”

“Ah…. Okay…”

Together we headed to the staircase I saw earlier. As we approached it though, a soft hum caught my attention. I turned slightly and saw a girl with long blue hair and a rather large witch hat staring intently at a… dragon statue? It was a strange sight, but I decided to approach her.

“Hey, you’re an Ultimate student, aren’t you? Can we talk?”

She didn’t respond. Hell, she didn’t even move. I figured she didn’t hear me, so I kept trying to get her attention. Several minutes passed like this. It was obvious she wasn’t going to respond so I decided to poke her cheek. I repeated the action several times before reaching up and mushing her cheeks.

“…...I never expected that to happen.” Her voice startled me enough to take a few steps away from her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean any harm… I was just deep in thought.”

“Ah…! No, I’m sorry for bugging you like that!” I exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly. The girl turned her attention to me and gave me a serene smile. She looked rather plain with her school uniform and glasses, but she had a…. very good figure. I felt my face start burning as I quickly looked away from her.

“Well, what do you want to start with? Perhaps we can discuss some of my favorite tricks.”

“Um, before that can you tell us your name?”

“Oh, my name is Tsumugi Shirogane. I’m the Ultimate Magician.”

“You’re… a magician?” Shuuichi asked.

“Yes… No one believes it at first since I’m so plain and not flashy like most but…” She reached behind my ear and when she pulled it away she held a quarter between her fingers. “… I can assure you that I am a magician.” I felt giddy with excitement and opened my mouth to bombard her with questions, but Shuuichi cut me off.

“Earlier you said you were deep in thought. What were you thinking about?” I pouted as Tsumugi’s attention was drawn to Shuuichi. I had so many questions for her…

“Oh, I was thinking about this dragon statue. I’m curious about it. Doesn’t it look like it’s out of place?” I looked over at the statue and couldn’t help agreeing with her. “This is a school, but everything here is so weird. There’s trees and grass growing inside, I can’t find any exits… And it seems like the only people here are us students.” I watched as her eyebrows pinched together, and a small frown appeared on her face. “Are…. Are we going to be okay? Will we be able to get out?”

“…. Akamatsu-san are you okay?” Shuuichi asked after I remained silent for several moments. I shook my head and leaned in to whisper something to him.

“The frightened look on Shirogane-chan’s face was sorta sexy.” He frowned and stared at me, disbelief written all over his face. “I’m just kidding Saihara-kun! Well anyways our present situation is our main concern, but once it’s over we’ll be good!”

“You’re pretty optimistic, Kaede,” the magician said with a small smile. The use of my first name caught me off guard and made me blush slightly.

“Well, people usually say I’m carefree. Worrying won’t get you anywhere.”

“Yeah… You’re right. Being depressed won’t help us.” We smiled at each other before Tsumugi turned her attention back to the dragon. “I’ll stay here. This statue is still really bothering me.” Shuuichi and I bid her goodbye before we finally headed down the stairs. The stairs and walls hurt to look at. Whose idea was it to cover them in bright pink polka dots?

At the bottom of the steps we agreed to keep going forwards. We passed the bathrooms and as we approached a set of gates loud voices approached us. Shuuichi and I shared a look and decided to just wait for the people to reach us.

_“Hey! Wait for me!”_

_“Please leave me alone! Go bug someone else!”_

A rather short boy with white hair came running around the corner and almost knocked into me. He looked rather distressed and his gray uniform seemed a bit dirty like he had fallen a few times. He looked up at me with large blue eyes.

“Please let me through! Hurry before he catches up!” I frowned, but didn’t move. What could possibly be chasing him that made him act like this? I sighed and shifted to make room, but it was already too late.

“C’mon! Wait up!” An even shorter boy with purple hair came around the corner with a manic look on his face. Before the first boy could make a break for it, the second one grabbed his arm and started to… measure it? Where did he pull that measuring tape from? The white-haired boy struggled, but ultimately gave up.

“Um… What is going on?” Shuuichi asked as we watched the purple haired boy began to measure the other boy’s chest and waist.

“He just started chasing me like a crazy person,” the boy getting measured complained. He sighed and looked up at us somewhat dejected. “Guess I should introduce myself. “My name is Kiibo, the Ultimate Anthropologist. And before you ask, I don’t feel comfortable sharing my last name.”

“What is Anthro- “

“Questions later! It’s my turn to introduce myself!” I frowned at getting cut off but let the other continue. “I’m Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Cosplayer! And you, Kiiboy, have a great body type to cosplay as…” I blinked and struggled to keep up as Kokichi began rambling about some anime I never heard of. After he was done taking Kiibo’s measurements, he stood up and gave Kiibo’s rear a playful smack. The white-haired boy yelped and glared at the shorter teen.

“That is harassment! I will be seeing you in court!”

“Um… Anyways… Kiibo what is an Anthropologist?” I finally asked. He seemed to perk up and gave me a huge smile.

“I will be happy to explain! Anthropology is the study of human societies and cultures and their development. As an Anthropologist, I use anthropology to better understand what makes us human. Amongst everything, I’ve studied the social and behavioral characteristics we share with animals and mythology/folklore.”

“Eh, that’s nothing. I use my cosplay to get away with crimes.” Kokichi’s confession made all of us freeze. “Yeah, so far I’ve gotten away with multiple robberies and over a hundred murders.” Kiibo yelped and dove to hide behind me. I didn’t really believe him, but he looked so serious…. Maybe he has done all that….? “Well, who knows? I am a liar, after all.” He let out a strange cackle as relief swept through us.

“So, you were lying….” Shuuichi whispered.

“Well I do use my cosplay to hide my identity! That part was definitely true!” Kiibo scoffed.

“Just leave him alone. He harasses people for fun and lies. We should just ditch him.” Immediately the other boy burst into tears.

“Waaaaah….! Kiiboy you’re s-so… mean...!” After several more minutes of crying, Kokichi stopped as soon as he started. “I’m over it.”

“Yes well… You two should head the other way. All that’s over there is a classroom and the basement. There are two people in the basement, but they made it obvious they want to be left alone.”

“What’s their names, Kiibo?”

“Maki Harukawa, the Ultimate Pianist, and Ryouma Hoshi, the Ultimate Entomologist.”

“Kiiboy you forgot to mention that the library and game room are in the basement!” The two soon began to bicker, leaving Shuuichi and I to share a look. Quietly, we turned around and headed back the way we came. I wouldn’t mind them tagging along, but I don’t want to listen to Kiibo and Kokichi argue.

As we walked, we came across a green-haired boy wearing a somewhat fancy school uniform. It looked more like it was supposed to be a suit. As he caught sight of us, he smiled and gave us a small bow.

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Rantaro Amami, the Ultimate Butler. I’m glad to see you are alright. I have meet everyone besides you, so I was beginning to get worried. I am pleased that everyone is safe and sound.” I found myself unable to reply as he offered us a dazzling smile. “I apologize, but I will have to get your names later. I must check on Kiibo and Kokichi before one of them gets hurt.”

As he strode past us, I caught sight of Shuuichi’s red face and smirked. He caught my eye, blushed worse, and quickly fixed his gaze onto the floor. It seems someone is a bit charmed by the butler. We continued walking in silence. We decided to enter the warehouse first and almost immediately encountered the loudest girl I’ve ever met.

Shuuichi took one look at her and immediately darted off somewhere. I couldn’t help but cuss him out under my breath as pale blue eyes locked onto me.

“Hey! You haven’t seen a little fuck running around have you? He’s pretty short, probably only reaches my crotch.” I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. “Damn it…. Where the hell did that skeevy little….” Her voice grew softer as she began mumbling to herself.

“Um…. I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Astronaut. What’s your name?”

“You haven’t heard of me?! I’m the gorgeous Ultimate Detective who will go down in history! I’m the one, the only, Miu Iruma!”

“Wait if you’re the Ultimate Detective, why haven’t you found the person you’re looking for?” She scowled and shoved past me. I frowned and watched her leave. She’s pretty rude to be called the Ultimate Detective….

“Um… Akamatsu-san? I already checked the dining hall and met Himiko-san and Chabashira-san…” I jumped at Shuuichi’s voice and glared at him. He flinched and took a step back. I felt a bit guilty, but I wasn’t going to forgive him for abandoning me with Miu Iruma. We left the warehouse and once again ran in to Rantaro.

“Ah, good to see you again. We are now able to go outside, and the dorms are open, but please refrain from going to your rooms. I wish to change the sheets first in case they aren’t clean.”

“Thank you, Amami-kun,” I said when it became obvious Shuuichi wasn’t going to respond. He smiled and then seemed to remember something.

“Oh, what are your names? It almost slipped my mind that you never told me.”

“I’m Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Astronaut.” I reached out and wrapped Shuuichi in a one-armed hug. “This is Shuuichi Saihara. He’s the Ultimate Inventor.”

“Very impressive talents! I look forward to serving you both.” He bowed his head slightly before heading into the dining hall. He was probably going to tell the students in there what he told us. I looked over to Shuuichi and gave him a smirk.

“Wh-what?”

“You like him,” I teased before sprinting off. I heard the inventor protest as he hastily tried to chase after me. “Deny it all you want, but I saw your blush!” I yelled over my shoulder, not looking where I was going.

“Akamatsu-san look out!”

Shuuichi’s warning came too late as I collided with another person. I felt a firm grip on my hips hold me steady as the two of us stumbled a bit. I sighed in relief and looked up to thank the person and apologize, but I felt my voice die in my throat. The person I ran into was a very pretty girl with light green eyes and hair. She was about my height and was strong seeing as she saved us from falling. Her hair covered one eye and it was just a beautiful style for her…... What was I doing again?

“My apologies. I didn’t see you before it was too late.” The girl took her hands off my hips as Shuuichi approached and I found myself immediately missing the warmth. “I should introduce myself. My name is Kirumi Tojo. I’m the Ultimate Supreme Leader. Before you freak out, I want to stress that the organization I lead is in no way evil, but I also can’t trust you enough to say what we do.” I should have felt suspicious, but instead found myself nodding and giving her a reassuring smile.

“Please don’t worry Tojo-chan! I believe you.”

“Please call me Kirumi,” she said with a small smile. I think my blush might be obvious at this point.

“Kirumi…. Ah, then please call me Kaede!” Anything else we were gonna say was cut off by a bell. Speakers crackled to life and played voices I really didn’t want to hear at this moment.

_“Hii! Thanks for bear-ing with us!”_

_“Everyone, please make your way to the gym!”_

_“The opening ceremony is about to begin!”_

And with that, the speakers turned off. The three of us looked at each other in confusion. Gym? Opening ceremony? Why would we need to have an opening ceremony?

“What should we do?” Shuuichi asked softly.

“Well… We go of course. I’m sure that’s what everyone else is doing. Besides, we can meet everyone we missed there.”

“I would be happy to walk you there,” Kirumi told us. “I found the gym when I was exploring earlier. I will lead the way if you’d like.” I nodded eagerly and quickly followed Kirumi as she headed the way we came from. Without her eyes on me I was able to be a lot more thorough in checking her out.

“And you teased me for not talking to Amami-san..... You’re staring at Kirumi-san like she’s a piece of meat,” Shuuichi said just soft enough for me to hear. I chose to ignore him. There were many more important things to do.


	3. Prologue Pt 3 (Kaede)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monokuma makes his grand entrance. Now the real fun will begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please look at this amazing art cocoabeanwriting did of cosplayer Ouma! https://www.instagram.com/p/BdmJESBFisk/
> 
> I also want to thank everyone for the comments on the last chapter! I'm glad you're all enjoying this story!

“Ah, now all sixteen of us have gathered,” Rantaro said calmly as Kirumi, Shuuichi, and I entered. His statement caught the others’ attention. Kokichi gave us a big smile and waved, almost smacking Kiibo in the face.

“Hey!”

“Oh, sorry Kiiboy didn’t see ya standing there. It would be a shame if I bruised that pretty face of yours.”

“Is…. Is this more harassment?”

“Wow you must be a crappy anthropologist if you can’t grasp the human concept of compliments.”

Rantaro sighed and moved in between the two. I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me when I saw the exasperation on his face. How many times has he had to break up their fights? With those three distracted, I decided to look around and try to spot the people I had yet to introduce myself to. Wait… Was that a robot? I started to walk over to it when a rather large teen held his arm out to stop me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him. It was hard to not be intimidated by his massive size.

“Listen… Hear that?”

“Ah, I think I hear it,” Shuuichi stated. His voice seemed to draw everyone’s attention to him which made his face flush. He stared intently at the floor and began fiddling with the goggles around his neck. “It sounds like machinery….”

_“Yoo-hoo! Rise and shine, ursine!”_

I recognized the voices immediately, but it wasn’t the cubs that appeared. Instead, five hulking machines dropped down, making the gym floor rumble. A few students even fell because of the tremors.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

 “Everyone, behind Gonta!” snapped the guy that pointed out the noise first. He quickly pushed me behind his body as well as a few other students he could reach. I immediately started clinging to his white jacket.

“Monsters!”

“Whoooooaaaa!! So cooooool!!!!” I saw Shuuichi grab Kokichi by his waist and drag the shorter teen behind his own body. I doubted the inventor could’ve done anything to protect him, but it was a nice sentiment.

 _“They’re Exisals-highly mobile, bipedal weapon platforms!”_ Monokid’s voice screamed from an Exisal with blue markings.

“Hm, I think I recall hearing someone say they would ‘kick all their asses’?” I tried to find where the monotone voice came from.

“Wh-what the hell? I wasn’t designed to handle shit like this!” screamed a more masculine voice.

“Alright, no need to panic…” Rantaro said smoothly, catching everyone’s attention. “I doubt we are in danger. If they wanted us dead, then I am quite sure we would be corpses now.” With that, Rantaro casually walked up to the Exisals. He held a certain grace and I was sure he had a smile on his face right now. “You have our attention. What do you want from us?”

 _“Well aren’t you a wise guy,”_ Monosuke sneered. Monokid was quick to answer.

_“I’ll start! Listen up!! …...My heart’s goin’ 100 miles per hour! I’m gonna say it! You know what we want you to do? It’s a- “_

_“KILLING-GAME.”_

“…. What?” I asked in disbelief.

“M-Monodam! How dare you upstage me!”

“W-wait…. What did you say?” a girl asked.

“If… If I heard correctly he- “

“KILLING-GAME.”

“God damn it, Monodam!! I’m gonna CRUSH you with this here Exisal!!!”

I watched in mute horror as four of the Exisals turned to face each other, obviously ready to fight. The Monokubs began to scream insults at each other while the Exisal with green markings shifted out of the way.

“Are they seriously gonna get it on right in front of us!?” Miu screamed.

“Don’t worry, detective! Atua is watching over us.”

“Is he really going to just watch in a situation like this?”

“Either way,” Kiibo said from somewhere to my left. “It’s too dangerous now! We should evacuate the gym before- “

_“Now, now, now…. My cute little cubs… You gotta knock off this awful fighting…”_

Almost immediately the Monokubs popped out of the Exisals and began frantically looking around. When they began to call out for “father” and “daddy” a horrible sense of dread began pooling in my stomach. And then, the lights in the gym shut off. They turned back on just in time for us to watch as a black and white bear appeared behind the podium on the stage in the back of the gymnasium.

“I am the god of this new world and the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy!” the bear yelled. “The one, the only… _Monokuma!”_

We could only watch in stunned silence as the Monokubs began cheering and jumping around. I was dimly aware of them congratulating their father on a spectacular entrance, but soon I zoned them out. I was dragged back to the real world when Monokuma sent the cubs flying with… Was that a Kamehameha?

“Haa… I love embracing my children! They’re so cute that I just can’t help myself!”

…. What?

“Alright kiddos, show some respect! I am the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles! Puhuhuhu…. Now let’s get on to the main event! I want you students with your Ultimate-level talents to participate in a killing game!”

“Killing…... game….?” I whispered.

“Please don’t joke like that!” Kiibo yelled. “Why would any of us agree to participate in such a barbaric thing!?”

“….. Huh? You don’t want to do it?”

“G-Gonta not hurt people!”

“Ah, but what f it was your only way out? If you’ve explored the entire school them you’ve already realized. The academy is surrounded by a huge wall. You can’t escape…. And with the Exisals, you can’t defy us! In other words….” Monokuma’s red eye flashed as he spread his arms. “I hold the power of life and death over all of you!”

“So, we have to do what you say if we want to keep our lives….”

“Th-There’s no way I’ll do it! Friends don’t kill each other!”

“…. Friends? No, you’re not friends. You’re all enemies out to kill each other.”

“… Hey, how are we supposed to kill each other? Are you giving us weapons?” A surprisingly deep voice asked.

“The fuck? What the hell, what are you asking!?”

“We need information,” the deep voice responded coolly. “We can’t do anything if we don’t know anything.”

“Weapons?” Monokuma asked, tilting his head. “What kind of barbaric display were you thinking of? This isn’t The Hunger Games, after all. Here at the academy, the killing game is quite the refined, sophisticated experience!” The monotone voice cuts through the silence.

“…. Sophisticated?”

“Yes, here the killing games have class trials. If one of you students kill someone, everyone must take part in a class trial. The blackened killer faces off against their spotless… Ah, I grow tired of explaining this constantly… Cubs you finish it from here.”

“Yes, father!” Monotaro eagerly exclaimed. “The blackened killer faces off against their spotless classmates. After arguing over who you think is the culprit, Voting Time begins! If the majority votes correctly, only the blackened will receive punishment. After the blackened is punished, the rest of you will continue living here together.

“But!! If you vote for the wrong person during the class trial… The blackened gets off scot-free, and all the spotless students receive punishment instead!” At that point, Monokuma decided he was fine with talking again.

“The point is, killing someone isn’t enough. You have to also survive the class trial.”

“Kill without being caught…. And then surviving the class trial…. But what is the punishment?”

“Oh, I am _so_ glad you asked! To put it simply, it’s an execution!” Several gasps and exclamations left us. Monokuma seemed to get irritated as his eye began to flash again. “If you do a crime, you get punished for it. That’s the most basic rule of society. But since this is a killing game… The punishment for murder is a bit more… _permanent._ ”

“Ooh! I wonder what kinda punishments there’ll be!” Monokid exclaimed. “I bet there’s gonna be lots of blood and guts and brains!”

“How gory…. BLRGHBLRGHBLRGH!”

“Woah! Monophanie just puked!”

“AH-hahahaha! You kids are just adorable!” What the hell is cute about that!? “Alright kiddos, I’m over this boring exposition! Let’s get this heart-pounding killing school semester started! Oh, and you have free reign to murder however you like. Whether you shoot, burn, drown, blow up, crush, or electrocute your victim to death… You can use any method you like to kill anybody you like! At the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, you will realize your murderous potential!

“Sixteen talented prodigies… All competing for first place in a killing game… There is no better setting for an event like this than the Ultimate Academy!

“I-I… Don’t want to be… in a killing game…. It’s wrong…. I’d never do that!” Shuuichi exclaimed, earning several nods of agreement. I watched Kokichi grab onto Kiibo with fear in his eyes, for once looking honest with his emotions. Kiibo made no move to yell or push him away.

“Puhuhuhu… well if you don’t want to participate… That’s gonna be a problem. The killing game is the only reason why you Ultimates are here.” Someone with spiky purple hair tried to object, but Monokuma ignored him. “Now then, unleash your talents and have a happy, homicidal, horrific, hilarious killing game!”

We stood in shocked silence. Several more people moved to cling to each other for reassurance. I didn’t even react when a warm hand slid into my own. Everything about this situation was so messed up. An academy surrounded by a giant wall supposedly…. Sixteen Ultimate students trapped inside…. Mysterious stuffed bears…. And new friends forced to play some stupid killing game.

What a sadistic situation… and against my will, I was now a character in this horrible story.


	4. Chapter 1 (Saihara)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: time for angst  
> Brain: start sweet and build friendships to destroy them later  
> Me: ...... K

We were all left in stunned silence after Monokuma and his cubs disappeared. Suddenly, an alarm rang from the Monopad in my pocket. I hastily pulled it out, barely noticing that everyone did the same thing. I turned it on and was met with my name like the first time, but instead it gave way to a message.

_School Regulations_

  1. _Students must live at the Ultimate Academy for the remainder of their foreseeable future._
  2. _Once a murder takes place, all surviving students must participate in a class trial._
  3. _If the blackened is exposed during the class trial, they alone will be executed._
  4. _If the blackened is not exposed, all remaining students will be executed._
  5. _If the blackened survives the class trial, they will graduate and re-enter the outside world._
  6. _The killing game and class trials will continue until only two surviving students remain._
  7. _Nighttime is from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. The dining hall and gymnasium are off-limits at night._
  8. _Monokuma will never directly commit a murder._
  9. _Your Monopads are very important items. Please, do not damage them._
  10. _The body discovery announcement will play when three or more students discover a body._
  11. _With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore the campus at your discretion._
  12. _Students who violate these rules will be immediately exterminated by the Exisals._
  13. _The Headmaster may add new regulations to the list at any time._



“No way….”

“Th-this is a joke right…? That’s right…. I’m just dreaming! I’ll wake up soon!” Tenko’s voice echoed in the gym.

“Please refrain from screaming,” a tall, long haired boy said. The lower half of his face was covered by a mask which just gave him a creepy vibe. Tenko scowled at him, but otherwise seemed to back off.

“This game seems like it won’t be boring,” Kokichi stated, earning a few mistrustful glares. Kiibo elbowed him roughly in the side, nearly knocking the short teen over.

“Ah, what does the 6th rule mean?” A white-haired girl asked rather cheerfully.

“Well obviously you can’t hold a trial with two fuckin’ people!” A blonde girl snapped. I recognized her voice from the warehouse. I hope Kaede will forgive me for leaving her alone there…

“Nyahaha, I see! You’re so smart, Iruma-chan!” The girl exclaimed. The blonde’s face turned red as she looked away, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

“W-well of course I am! I’m Miu Iruma, the gorgeous, intelligent Ultimate Detective!”

“Quit screwin’ around,” another boy said. Wait… Was he a robot? “To hell with this! Who the hell would go along with something so ridiculous!”

“It’s not like any of us _want_ to participate, dumbass!”

It didn’t take long for the whole room to be filled with arguing. I locked eyes with Kaede and quickly made my way over to her. I didn’t know how we were going to do it, but we needed to stop everyone. If we let ourselves become fractured now, all Monokuma would need to do is place some pressure to make our already fragile trust break.

“Hey!” Rantaro’s voice rose over everyone’s, making them fall silent. I looked over to him, but only saw irritation on his face. “You all need to stop. Whoever trapped us here doesn’t care about you wanting to participate in this sick game. They want to divide use like this. The only chance we have for survival is sticking together and building trust.” Several seconds passed before everyone started grumbling in agreement. Rantaro gave us a small, relieved smile.

“Good. I know some of you haven’t met yet. Please introduce yourselves and then we will all work together to find a way out of this school.”

As soon as Miu’s pale blue eyes locked on to me, I swiftly moved to introduce myself to the white-haired girl from earlier. Her name was Angie Yonaga and she didn’t remember what her Ultimate Talent was.

“But that is fine!” She exclaimed happily. “Atua will reveal it when he is ready.” She was also a very devout believer in her island’s god.

“Hello! Gonta’s name is Gonta Gokuhara! Gonta is Ultimate Tennis Pro!”

“I am Korekiyo Shinguji, the Ultimate Artist…. Kukuku, you should let me paint you sometime. You have so much beauty…” I was lost for words as Korekiyo began rambling about how beautiful the human body was. So creepy…. After him, I finally met Maki and Hoshi. Both were aloof, but I could tell they were good people. And finally…

“I’m Kaito Momota! I’m the Ultimate Robot!” I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I could tell a lot of care went into making his design…. It would be amazing if I could open him up and see what was making him tick…. I must’ve said that out loud cause he laughed and happily went on to explain that he was made with a learning A.I. which was incredible. He was made with the purpose of “becoming human”, and except for the body and marks underneath his eyes, his creator did a damn good job at it.

I wanted to ask so many more questions, but Rantaro had made us leave the gym and separate into groups so we could explore the academy. Kaede and I immediately went together, but it didn’t take long for Kokichi and Kirumi to join us. As we left the main group, I could’ve sworn I saw Kiibo pout. Had he wanted to be in a group with Kokichi…? Said teen giggled and immediately attached himself to my arm as our group went outside to investigate there.

“This is gonna be so fun! I get to spend time with my beloved Saihara-chan!”

“Ouma-kun…. Is… Is that another lie?” Kaede shot me a strange look, but I ignored her.

“Nishishi…. You caught me! Of course, I wouldn’t have fun with you!” _Then why did you join our group…._

We spent the rest of the day wandering around. Kirumi and Kaede worked well together and ended up ditching Kokichi and me. I was mildly irritated by it, but it was so obvious Kaede was crushing on the supreme leader that I just let it slide. Besides, Kokichi was really cute even though every time he opened his mouth it was to tease me or tell another lie. By the time the nighttime announcement was made, everyone had trudged back to the dorms looking dejected. We made an agreement to meet in the dining hall the next morning before heading off to our own dorm room.

The room was nice, but also kind of plain. I didn’t give it much thought though as I collapsed on the bed. The killing game and Monokuma bothered me, but in the end, I ended up falling asleep rather quickly.

 

Day 1 (Morning)

I woke up to the bell and the voices of the Monokubs. I was too drowsy to pay attention to what was being said, but I could assume it was now morning. It took me a while to finally get up. When I finally made it to what I assumed to be the closet, I was a bit shocked to see the only clothes in there were exactly like my uniform. There were even extra goggles and hats.

When I finally made it to the dining hall, the air was tense and Kaede looked a bit panicked. Her expression turned into relief when she saw me, and like that the previous mood was forgotten. I took a seat next to her and immediately found myself in a bone crushing hug.

“I was so worried Saihara-kun… I thought that… That you….” She pulled away and glared at me. “What the hell took you so long!?”

“S-sorry… I’m not a morning person so it took me a moment to fully wake up…” I continued to apologize to her for several minutes until Rantaro exited the kitchen with a huge plate of pancakes.

“Forgive me, but I wasn’t quite sure what everyone liked or how much to make. I figured it would be best to stick with something simple.” He left made several trips to and from the kitchen until everyone had a plate and silverware and there were several different types of syrup laid out. “Please, help yourselves and let me know if there is something you want to drink.”

“Amami-kun you don’t need to do all this for us,” Kaede said as everyone made a mad dash to get as many pancakes as they could. I took a small bite from what I managed to grab and nearly made an embarrassing noise. How did he get so good at cooking?

“Ah, I don’t mind Akamatsu-san. It brings me great joy to be able to serve everyone.”

“Hey, Ran-chan is just like a dad!” Kokichi exclaimed around a mouthful of food before dramatically throwing his hands up like an excited child. “Daddy!”

“Please never call me that again.”

“Hmm… Nii-chan?” Rantaro didn’t respond, but I saw him smile with a wistful expression. Kokichi seemed to take that as a ‘yes’ judging by the big smile he had on his face. He really was cute…. When he saw my plate though he let out a dramatic gasp.

“Why don’t you have syrup on your pancakes, Saihara-chan!?”

“Eh? Um… I don’t really care for sweet thi-“ I was cut off as Kokichi ran up and proceeded to _drown_ my pancakes in maple syrup. “H-hey! Ouma-kun that is way too much!” Kaede laughed as Kokichi bolted away before I could take the bottle away from him. I watched his face darken with mischief, but couldn’t stop him from screwing off the lid and dumping whatever was left onto Kiibo’s plate. While it was funny to watch the anthropologist scream and chase Kokichi, I did feel a bit bad when Tenko scolded him like a child and forced him to help Rantaro clean up.

When I left the dining hall, I caught sight of Kokichi splashing water at Rantaro in the kitchen while the butler laughed. They would be great friends…. My heart clenched at the thought of either of them perishing in the killing game. Well…. I’d just have to try my best to prevent it from starting.


	5. Chapter 2 (Saihara)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait but I have school so yeaaaah thanks for waiting!

Day 1

“So Kaede,” Kirumi began as we all settled down after enjoying a wonderful lunch Rantaro had made. No one had made any move to leave the dining hall, so we had decided to talk amongst ourselves. The supreme leader’s voice was enough to quiet the whole room. “I am curious on how you became the Ultimate Astronaut.”

“Ah, that’s a funny story. You see, I’m technically still in training, but I am the youngest person to ever be taken on. You have to be an adult to take the exam and I just couldn’t wait that long, so a friend of mine forged some information for me.” The room stayed in shocked silence as Kaede laughed. “Of course, we were caught, but the higher ups were impressed with me and decided to take me on. It certainly helped that I got a perfect score.”

“So, you became an astronaut illegally,” Rantaro concluded, amusement lacing his voice. Kaede smiled shyly and scratched the back of her head.

“What about you, Nii-chan?” Kokichi asked, leaning heavily against Kiibo. The anthropologist looked irritated, but I couldn’t help noticing that he made no move to shrug Kokichi off.

“I’m the oldest of many siblings. While my dad was at work I would help take care of my siblings, do the housework, and cook as well as keep up my grades in school. It was tough, but I started taking jobs as a housekeeper to help out with the finances and before I knew it they were calling me the Ultimate Butler.”

“That’s so sweet, Amami-kun! You must be a great big brother!”

Before long we were all sharing stories of how we acquired our Ultimate talents. It was a mutual agreement that Rantaro was the most deserving of his title with Tenko coming after. Children weren’t easy to deal with. Third place was a tie between several others. Poor Kaito had come in last. His very existence was his talent, so everyone agreed that he didn’t need to put in any effort. Everyone began to part ways, but I found myself stopping Kokichi. It wouldn’t hurt to spend some more time with him. His eyes were bright, and a huge smile spread across his face.

“I would love to spend some time with my beloved Saihara-chan.”

We settled on the ground a couple feet away from the entrance to the school where the cosplayer whipped out a deck of cards from seemingly no where. The cards had strange monsters on the face while the backs were a strange mix of brown and black.

“Ouma-kun are those Yu-Gi-Oh cards?”

“Yup! I’m surprised my beloved recognized them! Nishishi~ You know how to play?”

He spent several hours trying to teach me the game. He would often win, using his ability to lie to somehow bluff his way through the game. It was a good tactic… Whenever I decided to call it and attack his face-down card it would be some stupid penguin that sent my monster back to my hand. In the end I never won a single battle and Kokichi was very willing to hold it over my head.

_Third Person POV_

Korekiyo stared as Rantaro washed the dishes from their lunch. He found his eyes drawn to how the muscles of the other teen’s arms flexed with every movement. The butler was quite an example of the human body’s beauty. Soon he lost himself by staring at Rantaro’s face, admiring his long eyelashes and high cheekbones then focusing on his sharp jawline. A perfect blend of masculine and feminine features.

“Is there something on my face?” Rantaro asked jokingly, finding the artist’s staring to be unnerving. Yellow eyes blinked owlishly at him before shifting to stare at the wall.

“No. I was just admiring your beauty. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen someone with such perfect features.”

The butler nearly dropped the pan he was washing. He forced himself to keep washing it even as a familiar burn started spreading from his cheeks to his ears. He had been called many things before, but no one had ever said he was _perfect._ He breathed in deeply as he reminded himself that Korekiyo was an artist and was only stating what was on his mind. He wasn’t trying to flirt. Finally, the heat faded.

“Perhaps you would allow me to paint you? Not using someone like you as a model would be a sin.” This time the pan did drop. The blush returned full force and even began to creep down Rantaro’s neck.

* * *

“Gonta!” Kaede exclaimed, catching the man’s attention. She ran up to him with a big smile which was eagerly returned. “I just wanted to thank you for yesterday. It was very brave of you to protect us even against those huge robots.”

“Ah! No need to thank Gonta!” the teen exclaimed before suddenly bowing. “Thank you!”

“Um Gonta you don’t need to thank me.”

“But Kaede is the only one that talk to Gonta! The others are afraid, but that okay. Gonta just want to be gentleman and protect everyone.” The blonde girl smiled slightly but couldn’t help feeling upset. Had no one seriously approached the tennis pro yet? The teen may have been huge, but it was obvious that he was a huge sweetheart.

“You want to be a gentleman?” Kaede giggled as the teen nodded so eagerly that his glasses almost flew off his face. “Then in that case I’ll help you! Maybe Amami-kun will be able to help too!” Gonta smiled and thanked her multiple times, a slight flush on his face. She couldn’t wait to help him out!

* * *

Kiibo fidgeted under the blank stare of Maki. How was it possible for one girl to be so unnerving? He had approached her hoping to learn more about the piano, but soon found himself unable to move let alone talk. The anthropologist thought she would be more approachable.

Her skirt was a dark red with multiple staffs going across it along with little music notes. It matched the music notes clipped to the scrunchies that held her pigtails in place. It really was his fault for assuming a girl with a cute outfit would have a bubbly personality.

“…. Well? What do you want?” Kiibo startled and hastily began to talk, not wanting to annoy the girl.

“W-well I was just hoping you would t-t-teach me about more about the piano.”

Maki’s red eyes narrowed, effectively making Kiibo freeze. She looked like she was glaring right through him, shredding away layers of his flesh to stare directly into his soul. No one could blame him for feeling the sudden urge to need to us the bathroom.

“No.” He deflated, feeling a sense of disappointment. “Teaching you would be pointless. It would be better to just show you. Wait for my research lab to open up.” With that, she walked passed him like he wasn’t even there. Relief washed through him as his body relaxed. When had he tensed up?

His bladder protested as he moved to follow Maki. He cringed and beat a hasty retreat to the closest bathroom. It was surprising that a girl his own age could scare him so badly that he had to relieve his bladder.

_Ding Dong Bing Bong…..._

_“Ahem it is now officially nighttime….”_

 

Day 2 (morning)

_“It is now 8 a.m. Please come to the gym for a beary important announcement.”_

_“Hey! Don’t say it so politely they don’t have a choice!”_


	6. Chapter 3 (Kaede)

I let out a groan as I slowly made my way to the gym. Despite only being here for two days I felt like I was dead on my feet. I don’t know how the others managed to get any sleep with the danger of the killing game hanging over our heads. I desperately wanted to believe that no one would do something that horrible, but Monokuma did have a point. We didn’t know each other at all.

An image of Shuuichi and Kirumi appeared in my mind. I smiled slightly as a strange warmth began to fill my chest. I didn’t know them, but I definitely wanted to. As I passed the dining hall, the sound of two very familiar voices bickering reached my ears. I groaned loudly and closed my eyes. Seriously, how can they be so energetic?

“Come on Kiiboy, it will be fun!”

“Absolutely not! I am not some doll for you to play with, Ouma-kun!”

“It is way too early for you degenerates to be fighting.” Ah, that’s Tenko’s voice. She continued to scold them, ignoring Kokichi’s whining and Kiibo’s attempts at arguing back. When I caught sight of the gym door, I rushed over and quickly slipped in.

Kirumi gave me a small smile before going back to her conversation with Ryouma. Rantaro was talking quietly with Maki and Korekiyo in a corner of the gym, a frown on his usually smiling face. What happened? Before I could head over, I was stopped by Gonta. He began to excitedly tell me that Rantaro agreed to help teach him how to become a gentleman and my heart melted. How could someone so honestly pure end up in a situation like this?

Gonta distracted me longer than I thought. By the time he decided to go talk to Ryouma, everyone else had arrived. I quickly noticed how Kokichi attached himself to Shuuichi’s arm, but the inventor only had eyes for Rantaro. I frowned and observed them for a bit longer. I could’ve sworn Shuuichi had been interested in Kokichi.

“ _Ahem! Attention all students!”_

Immediately all chatter stopped at Monokuma’s voice. The black and white bear appeared on the podium, making sure we could all see him clearly. The Monokubs weren’t far behind.

“As much as it pains me to interrupt your adjustment period,” the bear began, earning looks of confusion from the gathered students, “I want to get the ball rolling so this heart pounding semester doesn’t have the chance to get boring. And what better way to do that, than to present a motive!”

We stayed silent. Monokuma seemed to pout as he didn’t earn any reaction from us. “Come on, this is what I was talking about! Where is the disbelief? The anger? You bunch are definitely the most boring kids I’ve dealt with.” He let out a heavy sigh as he turned his back on us. “Maybe I’m just too old for this. I should think about retiring.”

“No Father! It wouldn’t be the same without you!”

“You would disappoint your fans!”

“….”

 “Puhuhuhu! You’re absolutely right my adorable cubs!”

“Oh, for the love of… Hurry the fuck up! I’m starving!” I wouldn’t have used those exact words, but I silently agreed with Miu.

“Hm? Are you interested now?” Several people scowled. “Well then, your motive is… the First Blood Perk! Now, now, don’t try to swamp me with questions.” We remained silent. “The first blood perk allows the blackened to go free without experiencing a class trial!”

My blood went cold. The small amount of hope I clung to began to slip through my fingers at Monokuma’s words. An offer that good was too amazing to let go. Getting away with murder without going through a class trial? Being able to leave this hell without killing everyone else, or without getting executed? It was too good to be true. Miu seemed to agree.

“And what’s the catch?” She hissed. “You sick bastards locked us here for a reason. Offering freedom like this without consequences… It’s illogical!”

“Well of course there’s a catch. I’m surprised you caught on but then again you are the Ultimate Detective. It is easy to forget you’re smart.” Miu spluttered and glared angrily at the two-toned bar. “The murder has to be committed within two days. That’s it.” Monokuma added the last sentence in response to several confused expressions.

Day 2 (Morning)

Time left: 46 hrs 04 min

Breakfast was a tense affair. No one talked except for the occasional “thank you” given to Rantaro as he handed out plates. Everyone mostly just picked at their food, though occasionally someone would take a hesitant bite. Even though we held our heads high in the gym, refusing to give Monokuma the satisfaction of seeing us break down, I could tell several people were ready to break. The silence was broken at the sound of chair legs scraping against the tiled floor. Kokichi stood with a huge smile, but his eyes betrayed how he truly felt.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I won’t be spending much time with my potential murderers.” His words were met with stunned silence. As he left, Kiibo was quick to follow, giving us a mistrustful look. It wasn’t long before more people began to follow their examples. Within minutes Rantaro, Shuuichi, Kaito, Gonta, Kirumi, Miu, and myself were the only ones left. We were silent for a while until Kaito broke our silence.

“You don’t really think someone would be stupid enough to kill, do you?” The robot’s voice was quiet; the question was not directed to anyone in particular. I wanted to reassure him that no one would die but the words died in my throat.

“No, I don’t think anyone will kill,” Shuuichi said. “We need to stay together. Separating like this will only cause more damage.”

“No shit, but how the hell are we supposed to convince the others? Your little boyfriend was the one that started the whole damn trend.” The inventor flushed and began to mess with the goggles hanging from his neck.

“Now is not the time, Iruma-san,” Rantaro said gently. “We need to come up with a plan to get the others to return willingly. We need to plan fast, though. Today is the only day to plan.”

“Oh! There is a game room in the basement! Maybe we can gather everyone and bond over movies!” Kaito’s voice seemed to crackle due to his excitement. “I remember seeing a t.v. and a dvd player!”

“There’s probably movies in the warehouse…” Shuuichi added on.

“We could make it a sleepover!” Miu exclaimed with a lewd expression. Despite the concern her expression made me feel, I found myself agreeing. It would be fun to get together with everyone. However, I don’t see anyone becoming willing to listen to us. Unless…

“Saihara-kun, Ouma-kun trusts you. You could convince him to at least listen to us. If he agrees I’m sure Kiibo would be close behind.”

“I could speak to Shinguuji-san,” Rantaro said. His face seemed to flush and a dorky smile appeared on his face. Interesting.

“Hoshi-san isn’t unreasonable,” Kirumi stated calmly. “He would at last hear me out.”

“I can handle Harukawa-chan!” Kaito practically yelled.

“Gonta, Iruma and I can handle the other four.”

Soon we began to eagerly plan everything. It was mutually agreed that the plan wouldn’t start until tomorrow. Everyone needed a chance to cool down before we even tried to approach. The last thing we needed was for everyone to completely shut down.

By the time the nighttime announcement played, I was exhausted. I stumbled to my room where I promptly collapsed onto my bed. The previous nights were finally catching up to me. Within minutes my eyes were closed as I drifted off. That night I had horrible nightmares. I could only watch helplessly as my friends died around me from both murders and executions. I saw Shuuichi standing around, looking lost in an unfamiliar room after a brutal trial. I watched Rantaro slump to the floor, his body shaking from the force of his silent sobs. Tears fell down my face as Gonta was dragged away by his neck, his eyes pleading for me to help him. Then…. There was blood on my own hands. My hands trembled as I watched the blood drip off my fingers and onto the floor. I looked over to the body of one of my closest friends.

When I woke up the next morning, Shuuichi’s anguished cries still echoed in my head.

Day 3

Time left: 27 hrs 00 min


End file.
